Press Release

January 7, 2019

Oolite Arts presents first solo exhibition of Miami photographer Terence Price II’s work

“Dancing in the Absence of Pain” is an intimate portrait of home, family and community in Miami

MIAMI BEACH – Opening Jan. 16, 2019, Oolite Arts’s newest exhibition, “Dancing in the Absence of Pain” – the first solo show for photographer Terence Price II – is an intimate portrait of home, family and community that speaks to contemporary black life.

Organized by independent curator Diana Nawi, the exhibition emerges from a tradition of street photography to document the people closest to Price, his Miami Gardens neighborhood, and others he encounters in his daily life. Through his photography, Price mines the rich creative territory where the personal takes on shared and collective meaning.

As the title suggests, “Dancing in the Absence of Pain” offers glimpses into experiences of celebration and joy set against an implicit backdrop of daily life that is often defined by harsh realities. Price’s work juxtaposes allusions to sadness and difficult circumstances – economic hardship, violence, and simply the passing of time – against the intimate and vital pleasures of family and community. Presenting newly re-edited home movies and primary photographs from his family’s archive alongside his original images of his family and community, Price creates work that feels both anachronistic and enduring, with images that are seemingly threaded across time.

Now a studio resident at ArtCenter, Price grew up in the Miami Gardens home of his grandparents, Franklin and Essie Pigatt, who were constantly documenting their lives in video and photographs and displaying them at home. The couple had an important influence on Price’s work.

“I grew up noticing the outside world, and how things were outside my home’s walls. But growing up inside my grandfather’s house meant nothing but joy and celebration,” Price said. “The areas where I take photos are often seen as the hood, or places people try to avoid. In my pictures, I always look to express some type of joy, or community. I’m searching for those moments that explain something totally different.”

The exhibition “Pop Up Sometime,” an installation created through a nine-week collaboration between Price and the students of the ICA Miami’s outreach program Narratives, will travel from the ICA to ArtCenter’s and run alongside Dancing in the Absence of Pain. The Narratives program uses the theme of identity as a platform to allow participants to feel empowered and express their own narrative through creative work.  The installation includes photos and writing by students from Miami Northwestern Senior High, Miami Edison Senior High, and the South Florida CARES program; and was organized for the ICA by Alyssa Panganiban.

An opening reception for “Dancing in the Absence of Pain” will take place Jan. 16, 2019 from 7 to 9 p.m. at ArtCenter, 924 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach. The exhibition will be on display at ArtCenter through March 31.

About Oolite Arts

Established in 1984, Oolite Arts is a nonprofit that advances the knowledge and practice of contemporary visual arts and culture to an audience of approximately 80,000 people per year. Oolite Arts creates opportunities for experimentation and encourages the critical exchange of ideas through residencies, exhibitions, public programs, education and outreach. The residency programs include a Studio Residency Program, a PRINTshop Residency Program, a Cinematic Arts Residency and an Art in Public Life Residency. Exhibitions and programs at Oolite Arts are made possible with the support of the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council; the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners; the Miami Beach Mayor and City Commissioners; the State of Florida, Florida Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs; the Florida Arts Council; the National Endowment for the Arts; and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. For more information, visit www.artcentersf.org

Contact

Marika Lynch, [email protected], 305-898-3595
Images and video available upon request